Some wireless communications devices are known as dual-mode or Class A devices because they have separately operable voice and data communication channels, thus enabling them to send and receive data (e.g. for e-mails, SMS, or Web-browsing) while the user is concurrently engaged in a phone call or voice call. When the device is engaged in a phone call, a phone screen is typically displayed, showing call-related information such as the name of the other party, the telephone number associated with the other party, and the time elapsed on the call.
Accessing further information about the other party, including any data received over the data channel while the call is ongoing, is typically not feasible while the call is underway because this conventionally requires that the call be terminated to enable access to e-mail, SMS, browsers or other device applications. This presents an inconvenience for the user of the device who is already engaged in a voice call, and who does not wish to terminate the call in order to access other information pertaining to the other party or parties to the call.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
General
The present technology may generally provide a method, wireless communications device and computer program product that enable mapping of a current location of one or more parties to a phone call (or voice call) on a phone screen that is displayed onscreen during the phone call. This map, which may be embedded in the phone screen, may graphically present very useful location information to the user of the wireless communications device along with other optional call-related information such as, for example, the name of the other party, the area code and telephone number associated with the other party, and the time elapsed during the phone call. This innovation preferably solves a problem recognized by Applicant that, during a phone call, the calling parties cannot easily share current location information and view maps of these current locations without separately launching a map application, which conventionally requires that the call first be terminated.
Accordingly, an aspect of the present technology may be a method of displaying information on a display of a wireless communications device. The method may comprise steps of displaying a phone screen during a voice call, the phone screen presenting call-related information, determining a current location of a device connected to the voice call, and displaying a map of the current location of the device connected to the voice call within the phone screen.
Another aspect of the present technology may be a computer program product having code which, when loaded into memory and executed on a processor of a wireless communications device, is adapted to perform the steps of displaying a phone screen during a voice call, the phone screen presenting call-related information, determining a current location of a device connected to the voice call, and displaying a map of the current location of the device connected to the voice call within the phone screen.
Yet another aspect of the present technology may be a wireless communications device that includes a radiofrequency transceiver having a wireless voice channel for transmitting and receiving voice communications and a separate wireless data channel for concurrently transmitting and receiving other data. The device may also comprise a memory operatively connected to a processor for processing current location data received over the data channel from another communications device with which the wireless communications device is simultaneously communicating on the voice channel. The device may further comprise a display for displaying a phone screen during a voice call, the phone screen presenting call-related information, and a map displayed on the phone screen during the voice call, the map presenting a location current of the other communications device based on the current location data received over the data channel.